Sectional filing-case.



D. G. HOFFMAN & J. F. SCHAEFER.

SECTIONAL FILING CASE. APPLICATION. FILED FEB. 9. I914.

Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS--SHEET v & M

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0. e. HOFFMAN & J. F. SVCHAEFER;

SECTIONAL FlLlNG CASE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. 1914.

1,147,022. Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- Zfucsacs I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DON G. HOFFMAN AND JOSEPH F. SCHAEFER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE VAN DORN IRON WORKS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SECTIONAL FILING-CASE.

Application filed February 9, 1914. Serial N 0. 817,417

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, DON G. HOFFMAN and JOSEPH F. SCHAEFER, citizens of the United States, and residents of'Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sectional Filing-Cases, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Sectional filing cabinets may consist of one stack of sections piled one upon another, or two or more of such stacks placed side by side. Each stack usually consists of a base member, a cap -member, and any desired number of superimposed filing cases inter posed between the base and cap,res ting on the former and in turn supporting the latter.

The present invention relates to the means substantially as shown and described for connecting together the sections of which each stack is composed; to the means for connecting the filing sections of two stacks which are set side by side; to the construction of the filing sections which enable them to be so connected together; and which makes it unnecessary to nish the unexposed sides of said filing section, but which makes it possible to easily and cheaply apply to the exposed sides of said filing sections, finishing plates which will be automatically locked in place by the upper cap section.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away and sectioned, of a sectional filing cabinet made up of one or more stacks, each comprising a base, a cap and two intermediate filing cases. Fig. 2 is a plan View of several filing sections set side by side and connected wgether. Fig. 3 is a sectional rear elevation of a filing cabinet made up of at least two stacks, parts of which are broken away. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the means for connecting the front and rear edges of two filing cases placed side by side. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of one side of the cap section; Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the cap and the top of the filing section below it, showing the means for connecting the two together. Referring to the parts by letters, C repre sents each base section; each cap section; and B, B the intermediate filing sections.

Patented July 2Q, 1915.

The form of the base member is not material. Indeed it is not necessary that the stacks have base members; but it is desirable and usual to build up the stack with a base member at the bottom. As shown, each base member is a rectangular metal frame of the required dimensions, having inwardly turned flanges c and 0 along the upper and lower edges of the vertical frame members 0. Each cap A consists of a rectangular top plate a, having its four sides turned down to form vertical portions a ,the lower edges of which are bent horizontallyinward to form the horizontal flanges (1 Each filing section B, B is a box like structure open at the front to permit the introduction and removal of a sliding drawer or drawers. Each filing section is made up of five metal plates connected by rivets, spot welding, or any othersuitable means,said plates being the top plate I), the bottom plate the'back plate 6 and the two side plates 72 6 The front and rear edges of each of these side plates are recurved laterally substantially as shown, so that the extreme edges of these plates are, in effect, vertical flanges b, b which are substantially parallel with the body of the plate. These front and rear recurved edges of the two side plates project laterally from said side plates, so that there is between each side plate and the plane in which the two flanges b", b thereof lie, a space which serves as a housing for the fastening devices now to be described.

A vertical square nut L is fixed to each inwardly bent horizontal flange 0 at the side of the base, and it projects above said base. Preferably each nut has the flanges I which are riveted to the flange 0 and the nut itself projects up through said flange.

Fixed to each side plate I) of the filing filing section B is placed upon a base and is positioned thereon by the said engagement of the notched flanges 7' with the upwardly projecting nuts L, L, a bolt E is passed down on each side of the filing section through a hole in the flange 71. of the angle bracket H, and through a hole in the flange j of the angle bracket J, and these bolts are screwed into the nuts L until the head a on each bolt bears upon the flange h. The heads of said bolts are square and project upward above the top plate I) of the filing section, and in their upper ends are vertical threaded holes. The position of these bolt heads, and these threaded holes in them render these heads capable of serving as nuts to receive the bolts by which to fasten together the filing section B and the filing section B which is placed thereon.

Similar bracket plates H and J are fixed to the sides of the filing section B which rests upon the filing section B. The notches in the lower flanges 7' embrace the square heads 6 of the bolts E just referred to, and thereby not only position the upper filing section, but prevent said bolts from being unscrewed from nuts L. When the filing section B has been placed, as stated, and has been properly positioned by the engagement of the notched flanges j with the upwardly projecting heads 6, two other bolts E are passed down on opposite sides of the filing section B through holes in the flanges h and j, and are screwed into the threaded holes in the top of the heads e, -said heads serving in such case the same purposes as the nuts L do in respect to the filing section B which rests upon the base.

From the foregoing it is clear that as each filing section is added to the stack, it will be secured to the section below it by means of bolts E which engage with the angle brackets secured to one filing section and with the threaded holes in the nuts carried by the section below it.

The head e of each bolt E which secures a filing section of a stack to the section below it projects above the upper filing section and through a hole a in the horizontal inturned flange a of said cap. Each of these holes is elongated from front to rear, and is, in effect, a slot whose width is such as enables it to fit loosely over said nut, and thereby prevent said nut from turning.

Fixed to the rear plate 1 of the upper filing section is a nearly horizontal but slightly inclined rearwmdly extended flange m which is preferably a part of angle bracket M, and is located in a plane above the top of said section, whereby it may overhang the inwardly turned rear flange a of the cap.

Secured to the front flange a? of the cap are two downwardly extended threaded studs a; and'in the top plate B of the filing case are holes I) through which these studs may pass.

To apply the cap, it is placed on the stack behind the position it is intended to eventually occupy, care being taken to have the two bolt heads 6 pass up through the two slots a Then the cap is pushed forward. This will carryits rear flange a beneath the rearwardly projecting and slightly inclined flange m which thereafter serve to hold the rear end of the cap down. The threaded studs a will then pass through the holes 5, after which nuts a are screwed upon the lower ends of said studs up against the plate 6. This holds down the front of said cap.

The constitutent sections of a stack are obviously now securely fastened together. If the front of the upper filing section be closed, as it will be when drawers are put therein, and are locked closed, the nuts a will be inaccessible, and therefore it will be impossible to disconnect the sections, unless one first unlocks and pulls out the drawer of the upper filing section. If, now, either side of the stack so formed is to be exposed to view, the so-to-be-exposed side of each filing section should be finished, after it has been put in place, but before another section is put on top of it; and this may be done by means of the finishing plate K. This plate has secured to its inner face and near both vertical edges thereof, either by welding or riveting or some other suitable means, the cleats 7a which are formed substantially as shown, so that there will be between them and the plate K vertical grooves 70 which receive the forwardly and rearwardly 'eX- tended flanges 6*, b of the recurved front and rear edges of the side plates 6 This outer finishing plate K is put in place by sliding it down from the top. Its lower edge will rest then upon the section below the one to which it is applied. \Vhen the next section is added onto the stack, it will, by engaging the top of the plate K below it, prevent the latter from being lifted, and so detached from the filing section. The front and rear edges L of these protecting side plates are bent inward and are so placed that they lie respectively in front of and behind the two vertical flanges 6* and 7), and appear as finishing beads thereof. \Vhen, however, two filing sections are to be placed side by side, the protecting side plates K are omitted, and said two filing sections are connected at front and rear by the connecting clip P. This member comprises a double thick body part 7) having outer flanges 72 which extend in both directions from said body and at right angles thereto, and inner flanges 79 which are U shaped, as shown. These clips are put in place so as to perform the function for which they are provided,

by sliding downward so that the body members shall lie between the two flanges b at the rear, and b? at the front of the filing sections, and so that theU-shaped inner edges of the connecting member shall embrace the edges of the flanges Z)", I), and so that the outer flanges 72 of the connecting member shall lie outside of the flanges b, If of both sections which these clips are connecting together.

In the construction shown there is a removable back plate for each filing case; butthe purpose of this removable back plate is to close in a rear housing in which is contained the means for locking the drawers in the several filing cases. The present invention, however, has nothing to do with thee locking means or with this removable rear plate.

From the foregoing it is apparent that quite a saving can be efi'ectedin the construction of a filing cabinet comprising a plurality of stacks, because it is not necessary to finish the adjacent surfaces of the sections of the stacks which are placed side by side. At the same time the construction is such that any side of any filing section which is to be exposed can be nicely finished by the application of the finishing plate K,as previously described.

Having described our claim:

1. In a sectional filing case, the combination of two superimposed sections of which the lower section has at its sides two vertical nuts whichproject above its top, and the upper section has secured to its sides perforated bracket plates, and bolts which pass down through said bracket plates and screw into said nuts.

2. In a sectional filing case, the combination of two superimposed sections of which the upper section has the front and rear edges of its side plates recurved laterally, and means for fastening the two filing cases together. which means are located in the spaces between said side plates and the planes of the outer parts of said recurved edges.

3. In a sectional filing case, the combination of two superimposed sections of which the upper section has the front and rear edges of its side plates recurved laterally, and means for fastening the two filing cases together. which means are located in the spaces between said side plates and the planes of the outer parts of said recurved edges. and a finishing plate having a vertical sliding connection with the edge flanges of the recurved edges on one side of the upper section.

4. In a sectional filing case, the combination of two superimposed sections of which the lower section has at its sides two-vertical invention, We

nuts which project above its top, the upper section having secured to both side plates near the top thereof perforated bracket plates and near the bottom thereof other bracket plates each of which has two horizontal flanges. one perforated and one notched for engagement with the adjacent nut, and bolts passing through said horizontal perforated flanges and screwing into the nuts which project up from the lower sections.

5. In a sectional filing case, the combination of two filing sections set side by side, the adjacent side plates of each having recurved front and rear edges, and fastening clips having body portions which lie between the adjacent recurved edges of the two sections and have U-shaped inner edges which embrace the edges of the recurved front and rear parts of the side plates, and have oppositely projecting outer flanges which engage the outer parts of the recurved edges of said side plates.

6. In a sectional filing cabinet, the combination of a filing section having at its rear side a rearward extended flange which is in a plane slightly above the top of said section, and a cap which rests upon said filing section and has at the lower edge of its rear side an inwardly turned flange adapted to slip beneath said flange on the filing section, and means operable from within said filing section for fastening the front end of said cap down upon said filing section.

7. In a sectional filing cabinet, the combination of a filing section having at its rear side a rearwardly extended flange which is in a plane slightly above the top of said section. and a cap which rests upon said filing section and has at the lower edge of its rear side an inwardly turned flange which projects beneath the said flange on the filing section, a threaded stud fixed to the cap near the front thereof and projecting downward, the top plate of said filing section having a hole through which said stud projects,and a nut which screws onto the lower end of said threaded stud within said filing section.

8. In a sectional filing cabinet, the combination of two filing sections placed one upon the other, two nuts fixed to the lower of said filing sections at the sides thereof, and projecting above its top surface, perforated bracket plates fixed to each side of the upper section, bolts which pass through said bracket plates and screw into said nuts, and have heads on their upper ends which project above the top of said upper section, a cap having downwardly turned sidesprovided with inwardly bent flanges along their lower edges,-the side flanges having slots through which said upwardly extended bolt heads pass, a flange fixed to the back of the upper of said sections and projecting rear- Wardly therefrom and lying in a plane abo 'e In testimony whereof, we hereunto affix 10 the top of said section, and pro ecting over our signatures in the presence of two Witthe inwardly turned rear flange of said cap, nesses. v threaded studs secured to the cap near the w front thereof and projecting downward,

the top of the upper section having holes through which said studs project, and nuts WVitnesses:

which are screwed onto the lower ends of E. L. THURSTON,

said studs Within said upper filing section. E. B. GJLCHRIST. 

